SeaWolves' Faedo, Carlton combine on no-hitter

Wednesday

Alex Faedo didn't start feeling nervous until he was a spectator in the dugout in the eighth inning.

He calmly kept Bowie from getting a hit through seven innings Wednesday.

He also knew how tough of a situation it was for his teammate, Drew Carlton, to step into on the mound.

With a little help from the defense, Carlton worked his way through the final two innings to complete the third no-hitter in SeaWolves history.

"It was a great game and a really special moment for the whole team," Faedo said. "I'm proud of Drew for coming in and getting the last six outs. I was really nervous for him, and Numey (Chace Numata) called a great game. The defense made some great plays to lead us to victory."

Kody Eaves and Troy Montgomery each belted a two-run home run, and Faedo and Carlton dominated on the mound as the SeaWolves defeated Bowie 4-0 to take the three-game series in front of 690 fans at UPMC Park.

It was the third professional no-hitter in Jerry Uht Park/UPMC Park history and third in SeaWolves history. Elvin Hernandez threw the first no-hitter for the SeaWolves on Aug. 24, 1995, in Oneonta (N.Y.) before Thad Weber tossed a no-hitter on Aug. 22, 2009, in Erie. The first no-hitter at the ballpark was by Bowie's Matthew Bailie on Aug. 14, 2005.

It was apparent from the start that Faedo, the No. 10 prospect for the Detroit Tigers, according to MLB.com, had his fastball and slider working. He retired the first 11 batters that he faced, including four strikeouts. Among the four strikeouts were two swinging on sliders in the dirt and one looking at a slider over the plate.

"It's great when (Faedo) has his 1-2 punch going, and I could call either pitch and he would hit his spot," said SeaWolves catcher Chace Numata. "It was a fun game where I could sit down, put my glove up and they'll hit the spot. The defense also played really well."

Numata also caught a combined no-hitter back in 2013 when he was with Class A Lakewood.

After Faedo allowed a two-out walk to Rylan Bannon in the fourth, he induced a flyout to end the inning. Faedo then plunked Brett Cumberland with one out in the fifth, but Alexis Torres grounded into a double play.

Faedo pitched a perfect sixth inning before Yusniel Diaz hit a grounder to short with two outs in the seventh. Sergio Alcantara's throw to first pulled Daniel Pinero off the bag and it was ruled an error.

Faedo finished off the seventh inning and ended the day with five strikeouts. He was pulled after the seventh with his pitch count reaching 90.

"You notice there are no hits on the board, but I was more focused on it being a two-run game," Faedo said. "I was thinking about getting guys out and the win the whole time."

Eaves' homer came in the fourth inning, but Montgomery didn't extend the lead to 4-0 until the seventh.

Carlton walked the first batter he faced in the eighth inning, but it might have been a blessing in disguise. Torres hit a scorching groundball down the first-base line, which Pinero picked, stepped on first and threw to second for the double play. If Pinero was not holding the runner on, it might have been a double into the corner.

"We had a couple of nice defensive plays, including Danny (Pinero) at first base," said SeaWolves manager Mike Rabelo. "Any time you are part of a no-hitter it's exciting. I think the last one I was part of was in spring training in 2009, and I'm thrilled for Alex, especially after last week (allowed four home runs in a loss)."

Carlton then retired the next four hitters, including a flyout to Derek Hill in left field to end the game.

"This is the first one I've been a part of and it's awesome," Carlton said. "It means a lot to us and our team. We've been battling after struggling the last series. To be honest, I kind of forgot about the situation until I heard someone in the stands yell 'one more'. All of the credit goes to the defense because they played great."

Notes: SeaWolves starting pitcher Spenser Watkins has been promoted to Toledo and will start on Thursday. His next turn for the SeaWolves was scheduled for Friday. Erie will either go with a bullpen game or move Logan Shore up one day. … Rabelo had several choices for the eighth and ninth innings, but he went with Carlton. "I had a lot of confidence sending Drew out there," Rabelo said. "I've been managing him the past few years, and he was the perfect guy for the situation. He throws strikes and works quick." … As far as Faedo being taken out of a no-hitter after seven innings, Rabelo said "that was the easiest decision I made all day. This is player development, with the key word being development. If this was in Detroit they would have had a tough decision, but the goal is to get these guys to the big leagues."

Tom Reisenweber can be reached at 870-1707 or by email. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNreisenweber.

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